Pistons end NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games, beating Raptors 129-127

Pistons end NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games, beating Raptors 129-127
Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket between Gary Trent Jr. and Jakob Poeltl #19 of the Toronto Raptors during the first half at Little Caesars Arena on Dec. 30, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP)
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Updated 31 December 2023
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Pistons end NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games, beating Raptors 129-127

Pistons end NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games, beating Raptors 129-127
  • Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 39 points in the second half in his return to the Dallas lineup to help the Mavericks beat Golden State
  • The Pistons, who hadn’t won since Oct. 28, matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28, split over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons

DETROIT: The Detroit Pistons ended their NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games with a 129-127 victory over the short-handed Toronto Raptors on Saturday night as Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 12 assists.

The Pistons, who hadn’t won since Oct. 28, matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28, split over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. They finished one shy of the record for the four major American and Canadian leagues, set by the Chicago Cardinals during World War II.

Jalen Duren had 18 points and 17 rebounds for Detroit (3-29) while Kevin Knox II scored 17 points.

Pascal Siakam had 35 points and Dennis Schroder scored 28 for Toronto, who were playing the second half of a back-to-back. The Raptors traded OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks earlier in the day. They received RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, but they were not available Saturday.

TIMBERWOLVES 108 LAKERS 106

Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Naz Reid added 21 off the bench and Minnesota held on to beat Los Angeles on LeBron James’ 39th birthday.

Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 13 rebounds as West-leading Minnesota overcame 19 turnovers to win for the fourth time in five games. Two of those wins have come against Los Angeles.

Anthony Davis had 33 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists for Los Angeles, which has lost seven of 10 since winning the In-Season Tournament. James, who was questionable for the game with a non-COVID-19 illness, added 26 points.

Minnesota is 14-1 at home.

PACERS 140, KNICKS 126

Tyrese Haliburton tied the Indiana record with 23 assists and had 22 points, becoming only the third player in NBA history with consecutive 20-20 games in those categories, and the Pacers beat New York.

Haliburton, who picked up his 23rd on a pass to Andrew Nembhard with 1:05 remaining, joined Hall of Famers Magic Johnson (Dec. 18-19, 1984) and John Stockton (March 1 and March 3, 1994) as the only players with consecutive outings of at least 20 points and 20 assists. Jamaal Tinsley set the Indiana assists mark with 23 against Washington on Nov. 22, 2001.

Haliburton has 43 assists and two turnovers in the last two games, raising his NBA-leading assist average to 12.8. Indiana won its third in a row to improve to 17-14.

Donte DiVincenzo scored a career-high 38 points for New York. The Knicks were undermanned in their third straight loss after trading RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick to Toronto on Saturday in exchange for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn.

MAVERICKS 132 WARRIORS 122

Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 39 points in the second half in his return to the Dallas lineup to help the Mavericks beat Golden State.

Doncic added 10 assists and eight rebounds after sitting out Thursday night at Minnesota because of soreness in his left quadriceps.

Dante Exum scored 19 points to help Dallas improve to 19-14. Josh Green had 18 and Dereck Lively II added 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Stephen Curry led Golden State with 25 points and seven assists. Chris Paul had a season-high 24 points and became the 37th player in NBA history to surpass 22,000 career points. The Warriors have lost three straight to fall to 15-17.

BULLS 105, 76ERS 92

DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points, Coby White added 20 and Chicago took advantage of NBA MVP Joel Embiid’s absence to beat Philadelphia in the opener of a home-and-home set.

Sidelined by a sprained right ankle, Embiid could return when the teams meet again Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

Andre Drummond had 15 points and 23 rebounds for the Bulls, They’ve won five of seven and have taken both meetings with Philadelphia.

Tyrese Maxey had 20 points and seven assists for the 76ers.

JAZZ 117 HEAT 109

Collin Sexton had 22 points, Keyonte George scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Utah ended Miami's winning streak at four.

Jimmy Butler returned for Miami after missing the four straight victories because of strained calf, but left in the third quarter because of a foot injury. He had eight points in 23 minutes.

Bam Adebayo led Miami with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Tyler Herro added 25 points.


Pakistan face China in Asian Champions Trophy hockey semifinal today 

Pakistan face China in Asian Champions Trophy hockey semifinal today 
Updated 16 September 2024
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Pakistan face China in Asian Champions Trophy hockey semifinal today 

Pakistan face China in Asian Champions Trophy hockey semifinal today 
  • Pakistan, who lost to India 2-1 on Saturday, thumped hosts China 5-1 last week 
  • Pakistan captain Ammad Butt says team will go “all-out” against China in semifinal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will lock horns with hosts China in the first semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy field hockey today, Monday, after losing their first match of the tournament to arch-rivals India last week. 

Pakistan are placed at number two on the points table, with undefeated India occupying the top spot. The green shirts have played five matches in the tournament out of which they have lost only one against India. Pakistan drew 2-2 against both Malaysia and South Korea last week before notching their first win of the tournament against Japan 2-1 on Wednesday. 

The South Asian country then beat China 5-1 on Thursday before losing to India 2-1 in a close encounter on Saturday. 

“The first semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy of Hockey will be played between Pakistan and China at Moqi tomorrow [Monday],” Radio Pakistan said on Sunday. “The match will start at 12:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.”

Pakistan captain Amad Butt said on Sunday that his side would go “all-out” against China, saying that his teammates were well aware of the hosts’ strengths and weaknesses. 

“It also helps that we arrived for this tournament very early and played quite a few matches against China,” Butt said. “We look forward to a good game and if we win, there is nothing better than an India-Pakistan final.”

India, who have so far remained unbeaten in the tournament, will play against South Korea today in the second semifinal of the tournament. 

China began the tournament on a poor note with a 0-3 loss to India but had mixed results in their campaign with a 4-2 win against Malaysia, a 2-3 loss to South Korea and a 1-5 loss to Pakistan.

However, they will take the field today against Pakistan confident after beating Japan 2-0 last week.


A’ja Wilson reaches 1,000 points becoming first WNBA player to do it in a season as Aces top Sun

A’ja Wilson reaches 1,000 points becoming first WNBA player to do it in a season as Aces top Sun
Updated 16 September 2024
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A’ja Wilson reaches 1,000 points becoming first WNBA player to do it in a season as Aces top Sun

A’ja Wilson reaches 1,000 points becoming first WNBA player to do it in a season as Aces top Sun
  • Earlier this week, the Aces’ star broke the single-season scoring record that Jewell Loyd set last year

LAS VEGAS: A’ja Wilson became the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a season when she had 29 in the Las Vegas Aces’ 84-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.
Wilson hit a pull-up from the elbow with 2 minutes left in the game to reach the mark. Earlier this week, the Aces’ star broke the single-season scoring record that Jewell Loyd set last year. Las Vegas called timeout about 30 seconds later and her teammates mobbed Wilson.
She then went out on the court and acknowledged a loud ovation from the crowd clapping her hands.
The Aces (25-13) hold a one-game lead over Seattle for the No. 4 seed in the playoffs and home-court advantage in that series. Las Vegas has won seven of its last eight games.
Connecticut (27-11) trails the Minnesota Lynx by two games for the No. 2 seed. The two teams play in Connecticut on Tuesday.
The Sun made just 4 of 16 from the field — 0 of 5 from 3-point range — in the third quarter as the Aces stretched an eight-point lead at halftime to 71-51 going into the fourth. Young’s pull-up jumper midway through the period made it 58-47 and Las Vegas led by double figures the rest of the way. Wilson was dominant at both ends, making 6 of 8 from the field and both of her 3-point shots while scoring 14 points with four rebounds and two blocks in the third quarter.
Marina Mabrey led the Sun with 18 points. Brionna Jones added 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds and Tyasha Harris scored 16 points.
Jones is averaging 20.1 points per game on 66 percent (59 of 89) shooting in seven games during the month of September.
Kelsey Plum, who finished with 14 points, hit a 3-pointer to five the Aces the lead for good and spark an 11-1 run that made it 48-40 when she capped the spurt with a step-back jumper to close the first half.


Rahm wins LIV Golf Chicago and 2024 individual crown

Rahm wins LIV Golf Chicago and 2024 individual crown
Updated 16 September 2024
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Rahm wins LIV Golf Chicago and 2024 individual crown

Rahm wins LIV Golf Chicago and 2024 individual crown
  • It was his second victory in the past three events, sandwiched around a runner-up finish to Brooks Koepka in a playoff at LIV Golf Greenbrier in August
  • In addition to his $18 million champion’s bonus, Rahm bagged $4 million for the tournament win

LOS ANGELES: Spain’s Jon Rahm fired four birdies — including a 12-footer at the 17th — to win LIV Golf Chicago on Sunday and clinch the Saudi-backed circuit’s individual season title worth $18 million.
The two-time major winner from Spain, who made the jump to the breakaway league last December, captured his second victory in the past three events, sandwiched around a runner-up finish to Brooks Koepka in a playoff at LIV Golf Greenbrier in August.
Rahm, who hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in 11 events, arrived at Bolingbrook Golf Course near Chicago this week with Joaquin Niemann — a two-time winner this season — his only rival for the season title.
After a six-under-par second round on Saturday, Rahm took a one-shot lead over compatriot Sergio Garcia into the final round, with Niemann three adrift and needing to finish in front of Rahm to bag the individual champion’s bonus.
Rahm had birdies at the third, sixth and 10th holes, and after letting a couple of birdie chances go begging, he sealed it with his birdie at 17, carding a four-under final round for a 54-hole total of 11-under par.
“I woke up really nervous today,” Rahm said. “I wanted to do a really good show and get it over the line. Just really happy I played as good as I did.
“To go bogey-free on the weekend, one bogey all tournament, it’s quite spectacular,” he said. “I’m very proud of the putt on 17, which made 18 a lot, a lot, easier.”
In addition to his $18 million champion’s bonus he bagged $4 million for the tournament win.
He finished three shots better than Niemann, whose four-under final gave him an eight-under total that left him tied for second with Garcia.
The LIV season concludes next week with the team championship in Dallas.
After that, Rahm has his sights set on playing a trio of DP World Tour events to maintain his Ryder Cup eligibility.
He said Wednesday he was unwilling to pay the fines levied by the DP World Tour on golfers who fail to obtain releases to play in LIV events that conflict with tour tournaments.
Rahm has reportedly appealed the fines, and as that process plays out would be eligible to tee up at the Spanish Open later this month.
 


Winners of Riyadh dodgeball championship crowned

Winners of Riyadh dodgeball championship crowned
Updated 15 September 2024
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Winners of Riyadh dodgeball championship crowned

Winners of Riyadh dodgeball championship crowned
  • The competition had contests in three categories — men, women and under-16s

RIYADH: The winners at the Riyadh 2024 Dodgeball Championship were crowned on Sunday.

The competition had contests in three categories — men, women and under-16s — and the champions were awarded their prizes by Abdulaziz Al-Hazani, executive director of the Saudi Dodgeball Federation.

The championship saw 25 teams of 215 players compete, who were challenging for a SR7,000 ($1,865) top prize of a SR45,000 prize pot.

In the men's competitions, the Samurai team won the gold medal, with the Dark team taking the silver medal, and the Shabab Club team claiming the bronze medal.

The Doggers team won the gold medal in the women's competitions, the Flame team took silver, and the Raging Fire team won the bronze medal.

The Saudi Dodgeball Federation is preparing to hold two other tournaments in September, with a tournament in Jeddah on Sept. 19 and another in Dammam on Sept. 26.


Newcastle strike back to win at Wolves, move into Premier League top four

Newcastle strike back to win at Wolves, move into Premier League top four
Updated 15 September 2024
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Newcastle strike back to win at Wolves, move into Premier League top four

Newcastle strike back to win at Wolves, move into Premier League top four
  • Eddie Howe’s men have picked up 10 points from possible 12

WOLVERHAMPTON: Harvey Barnes’ stunning strike sent Newcastle third in the Premier League on Sunday after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Wolves.
Mario Lemina had swept the home side into a first-half lead at the end of a swift counter-attack.
However, Wolves remain without a win in the Premier League this season as Newcastle’s greater quality proved decisive after the break.
The Magpies’ performances have been far from convincing so far this season.
Yet, Eddie Howe’s men have still picked up 10 points from a possible 12.
Howe responded to another lacklustre opening 45 minutes with a triple half-time change with Alexander Isak among those to come off at the break.
Newcastle could have found themselves 2-0 down before the fightback started when Jorgen Strand Larsen smashed off the post.
Instead, fortune favored the visitors when Schar’s speculative shot flicked off the head of Craig Dawson and flew beyond Sam Johnstone.
Barnes needed no such luck as he arrowed a rocket into the top corner 10 minutes from time to snatch all three points.
Newcastle still required a brilliant save from Nick Pope to deny Matheus Cunha in stoppage time and leave Wolves in the bottom three.
However, they survived to move level with second-placed Arsenal, just two points behind Manchester City.